The Court Sorcerer's Quest
by VioletLink7
Summary: Just as the new Court Sorcerer gets settled in, he's sent on a quest! Strength, Courage, and Magic are sent to the Perilous Lands by the Lady of the Lake. Will the Trio succeed? Sequel to The Court Sorcerer Tournament. Freylin. T for a bit of violence and Gwaine's minor swearing.
1. Chapter 1

Hello there! After many months, here is the sequel to The Court Sorcerer Tournament! This time around, our dear Merlin must go on a quest! Hopefully it won't take me too terribly long to finish this...I've got 2 chapters done (So I'll try and post #2 tomorrow) and I'm working on the third, but I've been in such a creative rut! Fear not, though, I _will _finish this! I will never post a story that won't be finished. I know how it's ending and everything, it's just getting there that's the problem. ;P Mostly it's a problem because I really want to try my hand at a real subplot but I don't have any ideas...yet! Anyway, enjoy and please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

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**Chapter One**

Merlin sat in his new seat at the Round Table watching as his king paced back and forth. He hadn't said a word since he'd called this meeting the morning after their celebrations. Last night was a time to welcome Merlin home and congratulate him. Today his friends wanted answers.

Merlin let out a breath, "Are you going to say something, sire?"

Arthur stopped his pacing, "I just have so many questions! I don't know where to start, Merlin."

"Well, then," Gwaine butted in, "I'll ask one. What's with the name?"

"Emrys?" Merlin questioned. At Gwaine's nod he continued, "It's the name the druids know me by."

"Which brings me to my next question: how are you the druid king?" Gwaine inquired.

Merlin laughed, "It's honestly not much more than a title. I settle disputes, among other things, but I don't formally rule them. The druids don't really have a ruler like a kingdom does."

"Is it really okay that you leave them to live in Camelot?" Percival asked.

Merlin nodded, "As long as Arthur allows them to come see me when needed, I don't need to be there." He looked expectantly at the king who had finally sat down at the table.

"Of course," Arthur replied. "Magic is no longer illegal; I have no reason to keep them away." The hall drifted into silence as Merlin awaited the questions he knew his friends still had. It was a lot to take in in one day, he mused. He was just glad no one was yelling.

Arthur finally broke the silence, "Why didn't you ever tell me, or any of us, about your magic?" Ah, and there it is. The question Merlin had been expecting and dreading the most. He had to make Arthur and the others understand his reasons for silence.

He opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally speaking, "I wanted to. Believe me, I did. At first, of course, I didn't trust you—we'd only just met and you were the prince. I thought about telling you later, but I never wanted to put you in the position of having to choose between me and your father. That, on top of the fact that I've been keeping this secret my entire life."

"Speaking of which, why did you study magic in Camelot in the first place?" Gwen asked hesitantly.

Merlin mused over how to answer, "I never really had a choice in the matter. I was born like this—I'm not just a sorcerer, I am magic itself." The room went silent at Merlin's announcement, his friends unsure what to make of it. Great, I've freaked them out now, Merlin thought to himself.

"Just how powerful are you, mate?" Gwaine asked, suddenly very curious.

"I don't know, really," Merlin confessed. "The prophecies say I'm the 'most powerful warlock ever,' but it's anyone's guess as to exactly how powerful that is. I can't say I've tried very hard to push the limits of my magic."

"Prophecies?" Leon inquired, his head tilted to one side in confusion.

Merlin looked at Gaius, then Arthur, before answering, "Mhm. About Arthur and I." This seemed to catch Arthur's attention; he had been listening, but his attention slowly wandered as he thought about his friend's words.

"Me?" he questioned.

Merlin nodded, "The Once and Future King who shall unite the land of Albion and his protector, Emrys, the greatest warlock who ever was, is, or ever will be." The room once again fell into a stunned silence. Merlin thought they'd never get through this discussion if this kept on happening so he posed a question, "Anything else you wanted to know?"

"Out of curiosity," Arthur began, "When did you first use magic in front of me?"

"First time we met," Merlin announced, then corrected himself. "Or, rather, the second time. When we had that mace fight, I used magic to keep you from practically killing me. Until Gaius distracted me, of course."

Arthur looked indignant, "You cheated!"

Merlin laughed, "I suppose I did, but hey, you have your skills and I have mine." He winked at his king.

Something seemed to dawn on Arthur, "You weren't kidding when you said you could tear me apart with less than one blow." Merlin just grinned at him.

"Did anyone know before now?" Elyan asked.

"Gaius did, I used magic to save him from a fall my first day here. My mother knows, of course, as did my friend Will," Merlin hesitated, a wave of sadness threatening to take over. "And Lancelot knew. He heard me enchant his weapon so he could slay the griffin."

"We really do owe you a lot, don't we Merlin?" Gwen asked. Merlin nodded, they had no idea.

"I suppose there's just one thing left to discuss," Arthur looked hesitant to bring up the topic, but took a deep breath and forced the word out. "Balinor."

Merlin nodded sadly, he knew he'd have to talk about his father sometime. A small smile graced his lips, "He was indeed my father, though I only met him the one time when we went to find him. I didn't even know until right before we left, but Gaius told me as I was packing."

"So that's why you were acting so weird on that trip," Arthur mused, then seemed to realize something. "Oh, I am so sorry about what I said to you. I—"

Merlin held up a hand to silence him, "You didn't know. It's fine."

"So you're a Dragonlord?" Leon inquired.

Merlin nodded, "Yes, but I wasn't until after my father died. By the way, Arthur, you didn't kill the dragon." The king was shocked, but his Court Sorcerer continued, "I ordered him to never attack Camelot again so you have nothing to worry about. Besides, if Kilgarrah ever does act up, you have me. Oh, and I saved that dragon egg from the tomb, too. I hatched it; her name is Aithusa."

If possible, the room was even more silent than it had ever been. No one knew what to say to that, obviously Merlin had hid a lot from them. Each of them hoped they'd, in time, uncover their friend's secrets.


	2. Chapter 2

And here's chapter 2! This story is so much fun guys, I hope you're enjoying it! :) And thank you to all of the favorites and follows (and a couple reviews too!) that I got in just one day! I'll be at the Quidditch World Cup all weekend so no more chapters until at least Monday. *sad* Enjoy and please review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.

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**Chapter Two**

Merlin was standing next to Arthur on the balcony above the courtyard with all of Camelot in the crowd below. Geoffrey handed the king a folded blue cloth. It was a cloak, the one given to all of Camelot's Court Sorcerers in the past, which Arthur pulled around Merlin and pinned closed. The deep blue cloak shimmered in the sunlight, reflecting off the golden druid symbols woven into the fabric.

The king and warlock turned towards the crowd, "I present your new Court Sorcerer, Merlin Ambrosius!" Arthur shouted; the crowd cheered loudly.

-o-

Merlin's new chambers were to be located in the West Tower; after all, a man of his station couldn't keep living with his guardian. And the druids coming and going would get in the way of Gaius' own work.

Ronan and Ulric decided to stay in Camelot. Their rooms would be the two above Merlin's chambers. The druids wanted to continue guarding their king, even though he was surrounded by guards and knights and perfectly capable of protecting himself.

None of them had many things and they settled down fairly quickly. The three sat in the main room of Merlin's chambers talking until the druid king heard a voice in his mind.

_Merlin, _spoke Kilgarrah, _Come to the courtyard of the castle. I must speak with you._

"The Great Dragon needs me in the courtyard," Merlin interrupted the conversation. He got up without another word and headed outside the castle.

The courtyard was full of people gawking at the massive dragon that had landed there. The king and his knights were standing on the steps when Merlin, Ronan, and Ulric walked out.

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted when he spotted his Court Sorcerer. "What on _earth_ is that dragon doing here?"

"I'm not his keeper," Merlin replied.

"You're the last Dragonlord. You, in fact, are his keeper," Arthur spat back.

"I suppose, but just because I _can _order him around doesn't mean I _do._ Or that he's happy about it."

"But do you know why he's here?" Leon asked, kinder than Arthur.

Merlin shrugged, "He said he needed to speak to me." The lord turned to the patiently waiting dragon, "Kilgarrah?"

"Young Warlock, do you remember what tomorrow is the anniversary of?"

Merlin swallowed, "Freya's death."

"That is correct."

"Sorry, who's Freya?" Percival asked.

Merlin shushed him and continued to talk to the dragon, "What's important about this year?"

"Merlin, I'm merely a messenger," Kilgarrah said. "You must go to the Lake of Avalon at sunrise tomorrow and speak to the Lady of the Lake. Bring the king and his knights too."

Merlin beamed, "I get to talk to Freya?"

The dragon nodded his head, "Indeed."

"Thank you, old friend."

The dragon dipped his head and took off. The crowd watched him go, then went about their business, many shaking their heads and mumbling about "magic folk."

Arthur turned to Merlin, "Explain."

"All I know is I need to speak to the Lady of the Lake of Avalon tomorrow at sunrise," Merlin replied. "Oh, and you have to come with me."

"Who is this Lady?" Elyan asked.

"She was once a cursed druid girl, when she died she became the Lady of the Lake," Merlin explained, tearing up a bit as the pain of her death still hurt after all this time.

"How did you know her?" Leon asked.

"She was trapped in a cage and I saved her, kept her hidden."

Gwaine eyed his friend, "You loved her, didn't you, mate?"

Merlin nodded, "We were going to run away together until she—" the word was caught in his throat, he couldn't say it again. The queen walked over to give him a hug.

"How much of your life have we missed?" Arthur asked.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you," Merlin began.

The king held up his hand, "No, I understand. It's just hard knowing my closest friend has so many secrets."

"It's been years, it'll take time for me to tell you everything."

The king nodded, "Guess the Round Table will have to prepare to leave tonight if we're going to get to that lake at sunrise.

-o-

Ronan, Ulric, and the Round Table sat on the shore of the Lake of Avalon waiting for the sun to rise as Merlin was magicking up strawberries.

"Lord Emrys, why are you making strawberries?" Ulric asked.

"Freya loves them," Merlin smiled. The sun rose over the lake and they all looked up as a woman came out of the water. Merlin stood up quickly and the others followed suit. "Hello Freya," Merlin's smile widened.

"Hello Merlin," Freya's face was equally bright.

The king stepped forward, "Arthur Pendragon, my lady." He took her hand and kissed it. The rest of the introductions were made in a similar fashion, Gwen curtsying politely. Gwaine made a comment about Freya being far too pretty for Merlin. His hair was now pink and Merlin hadn't decided when or even if he would change it back.

With Gwaine scowling and Merlin smirking, Freya told them why they had come. "I'm sure you've realized this isn't a mere social call," she said. Merlin nodded and she continued, "I have a quest for you."

"A quest?" Merlin questioned.

"Yes. A quest with a reward I think you'll like very much, Merlin."

"What is it?" Merlin was confused.

"I will be unbound from the Lake of Avalon."

"You'll get to come back to Camelot with me?" Merlin asked hesitantly.

"I'll get to come back to Camelot with you," Freya confirmed.

"No curse?"

"No curse."

Merlin nearly exploded in excitement; he even changed Gwaine's hair back to its natural color, "Let's go right now!"

Freya laughed, "I haven't even told you what your quest is!"

Merlin restrained his joy and grew serious, "Okay, what is it then?"

"Courage, Strength, and Magic much journey to the Perilous Lands and retrieve a locket from the Fisher King's vaults. It is made of a crystal from the birthplace of magic—Emrys will know if it is the right one," Freya explained.

"No one else may go?" Arthur asked.

"It must be the Trio and the Trio alone," Freya replied.

"Who are Courage, Strength, and Magic?" Leon asked.

"Well, that would be me, Arthur, and Gwaine," Merlin answered.

"Road trip with Magic Man and the Princess!" Gwaine yelled cheerily.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! I just got home and you've all made me so happy with the favorites, follows, and reviews (Thank you! :D) that I decided to post chapter 3 today! Even though I wasn't planning to. :P I have a few things to say, but they'll wait 'til after so I don't spoil anything. Enjoy and please review! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

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**Chapter Three**

Merlin and Arthur had to order Ronan, Ulric, and the knights to stay in Camelot during their quest (the only reason they let Arthur go to the Perilous Lands by himself before was because they had no choice). Merlin ended up casting spells to cover their tracks just in case.

The Guardian of the Bridge was waiting for them when they arrived, "Ah, the Trio has returned!" Grettir said. "It must be time to free the Lady of the Lake."

"Indeed," Merlin replied.

"Courage, I thought you didn't condone the use of magic," Grettir said cheekily.

"Times change," Arthur replied.

"That they do. Well, go on; don't keep the Lady waiting forever!" With that, he disappeared and the Trio crossed the bridge, Arthur in the lead.

The sun started going down after an hour or so of walking. "We should make camp soon," Arthur said. Merlin and Gwaine nodded and they kept walking for another half-hour before settling down for the night.

Merlin lit a fire with his magic, "Not so useless as you thought, am I, Arthur?"

The king sat down, "I never _really_ thought you were useless, Merlin. Except maybe in battle…"

"Only because I didn't _want_ you to see me using magic in every fight," Merlin pointed out.

"So you hid behind trees like a little girl?" Arthur joked.

"You try fighting _and_ hiding at the same time. It's not as easy as it sounds."

"So it's easy to fight like a man, then?"

Gwaine interjected, "Girls, girls. You're both pretty." His companions scoffed at that, but Gwaine was undeterred. "Save the beauty contest for later—what exactly is our plan?"

"Get to the Fisher King's castle first, then find our way to the vaults and locate the locket," Merlin told him.

"What about the Wyverns?" Gwaine asked.

"Easy, I tell them to go away."

"You…tell them?" Arthur questioned.

"Distant cousins of the dragon," Merlin said as if that explained everything. At their blank looks, he rolled his eyes and continued, "They listen to Dragonlords, too. Why do you think they didn't eat us last time?" Gwaine and Arthur both mouthed the word, "Oh."

"We should get some rest, all the planning in the world won't help if we're tired," Arthur said. The other two nodded their agreement—Merlin cast a small protection spell around them before they went to sleep.

-o-

The castle in the heart of the Perilous Lands loomed over the Trio and Gwaine spoke, "Alright, where do you think the vaults are?"

"I would guess under the castle," Arthur said cheekily.

"Yes, but how do we get it?"

"We'll just have to look around," Merlin interjected.

"Right," Arthur said and pointed in three different directions. "So, let's split up. Merlin go that way, Gwaine that way, and I'll go this way." Arthur walked off before his companions could protest; Gwaine shrugged and walked in the direction Arthur had sent him.

Merlin sighed; those two had better not run into anything they can't handle while he wasn't around. The warlock walked off anyway, searching for the entrance to the vaults. He used his magic to quickly search through corridors when he ran into a fork. Eventually, he made it into the vaults. Just as he was about to step inside, he heard a yell from somewhere in the castle.

Merlin quickly abandoned the vaults, but cast a spell so he'd be able to follow his own trail back there, to aid his friend. He ran all around the castle until he was blue in the face, but finally found them! Somehow, both king and knight were trapped between a wall and a pack of wyverns. Why did Merlin even bother thinking they wouldn't get themselves into trouble?

The Court Sorcerer threw rocks at the wyverns to get their attention before telling them to back off in the primal dragon tongue. The creatures slunk away, growling at Merlin for forcing them to leave their dinner. When they'd moved away, Merlin noticed Gwaine was leaning heavily against the wall, barely holding his sword up.

"Gwaine, what happened?" he asked, rushing forward.

"Damn thing bit me," Gwaine growled, pointing to his leg.

"Sit," Merlin ordered; Gwaine obeyed while the sorcerer surveyed the damage. "It doesn't look broken or anything, just some nasty wounds. I'm rubbish at healing spells, but I can at least stop the bleeding."

"So much for all-powerful sorcerer," Gwaine laughed, trying to keep the mood light.

"All-powerful does not mean well-practiced."

"Fair enough," Gwaine tried to stand as Merlin finished, but nearly fell over and had to lean on his friend's shoulder.

"Come on, I found the vaults," Merlin told them. "Gwaine can just limp down there." Arthur and Merlin each took one of the knight's arms and they followed Merlin's shimmering silver trail to the vaults. Once down there, they set poor Gwaine against the wall and began looking for the locket.

"Is this it?" Arthur asked Merlin; he was holding a small gold locket with the Fisher King's crest stamped on the front.

Merlin shook his head, "Look for one made at least partly of crystal." Arthur nodded and they continued searching. Ten lockets later, and Gwaine had fallen asleep, slumped on the floor by the door.

"What about this one, Merlin?" Arthur asked, exasperated. Merlin shook his head yet again and Arthur cursed, "Is it even here?!"

"If it wasn't here, why would Freya have sent us?" Merlin asked as he continued to wade through the vast collection of treasure.

"She wouldn't necessarily know if it was moved," Arthur had stopped looking and was just watching Merlin.

"Grettir also as good as said it was here."

"You seem to think your magic friends know everything," Arthur huffed.

"No one can know everything," Merlin stopped searching and instead looked at Arthur. "Why are you being so difficult?"

"Because we've been looking for hours, _Mer_lin!"

"It's a quest. It's not supposed to be easy."

"We're just rooting through a dead king's treasure!"

"You can't always just bash some heads to get to your goal."

"Injured person trying to sleep over here," Gwaine grumbled sleepily. "Will you two just shut up?" Merlin and Arthur looked as if they wanted to continue their argument, but they shut up and continued the search.

Merlin was looking through a pile of chests when he found a tiny jewelry box inside a box, in a box, in a box. He thought the layers of boxes were odd and opened the tiny one in the center, pulling out a small locket made of silver with a blue crystal in the center. A spell was engraved around the edges and Merlin's smile grew wider as he read it.

"This is it!" he cried, "This is the one!"

"Finally!" Arthur responded.

* * *

Fear not, their quest is not over! It can't be _that _easy! However, I haven't quite decided what they're going to do next. So, it's time to let you lovely readers decide their fate! Or, at least, help decide it. What tortures do you wish to inflict upon our heroes? What dangers lie ahead of them? Who (or what) will try and stop the Lady of the Lake from being freed? I'd love to see your ideas! :D The best part of FFN is interaction between readers and authors.


	4. Chapter 4

Who needs sleep? Look! I finally am able to write again! Maybe it's all that reading I've been doing...1/2 Prince inspires me. ;P Anyway, I'm soooooooooooo sorry this is late! I really tried to finish it earlier...I just could not do it. At least not without coping-out and ending the story without any conflict. But come on, it _can't_ be _that_ easy!

A big thank you to SpangleyPony, shelle-ma-belle, chibitomodachi, and Aimee for your reviews and suggestions (they definitely helped)! And thank you to everyone who favorited/followed this story. :) (OH MY GODRIC! 50 follows?! Cookies for everyone! 3) I didn't want to delay any longer in getting this out to you, but now I'm off to continue writing! Wahahaha sleep is for the weak! (Yes, it's 3 in the morning. No, I'm not so sane anymore.) Enough of my rambling, enjoy and please review! :D

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**Chapter Four**

"Hard to believe we came all this way for such a tiny little thing," Arthur commented.

"Small things can hold great power," Merlin replied. "Especially when it comes to magic."

"Well I, for one, am just glad we found the thing. Now can we get out of here?" Gwaine grunted through the pain in his leg.

"Absolutely!" Merlin exclaimed, but when he turned to help Gwaine up, he was suddenly blasted forward by an unknown force. His companions watched in shock as Merlin was knocked into the wall and unconscious, slumping to the floor.

"Merlin!" they shouted in unison. Arthur went over to check on him and, seeing he was alive, sighed in relief and began looking for the sorcerer's assailant. Suddenly, Arthur and Gwaine both found they couldn't move.

"My, my, what do we have here?" a female voice called from the shadows. As she walked closer, the form of Morgana appeared, and Arthur scowled. "Oh, don't look at me like that, dear brother! I haven't come to harm you—this time—I simply wanted," she reached down towards Merlin's neck and yanked the locket free, "this little trinket. I'm sure you won't miss it."

Morgana smirked and walked away, but not before casting a spell that caused a loud rumbling. Arthur and Gwaine looked on in panic as the ceiling began to crumble. By the time the two could move again, they found themselves completely trapped behind a solid wall of rock.

Arthur lurched forward and began uselessly clawing at the rocks sealing them in. Gwaine merely shook his head, "There's no way we're getting out of here until Magic Man wakes up."

-o-

Merlin groaned and put a hand to his head, "What…happened?" Arthur bolted up from where he had been sitting against the caved-in rock and sprang towards Merlin.

"Are you alright?" he asked anxiously.

"As alright as one could be after being knocked unconscious," Merlin replied. "You didn't answer my question."

"Morgana happened. She knocked you out, bound us, stole the locket, and caused a cave-in," Gwaine supplied.

"Morgana?! What could she possibly want with that locket?" Merlin questioned.

"Who knows, Merlin. Right now, I vote we focus on getting out of these accursed vaults," Arthur answered.

"Right. I can probably do that."

"Probably?" came Gwaine's response.

"Most likely," he amended, not really comforting Gwaine at all. Merlin concentrated for what seemed like an hour to his companions—but in reality was more like five minutes—before remembering a spell to get them out of there without causing a worse cave-in or injuring them in the process. He spoke the spell, eyes flashing gold, and a hole opened up in the wall, large enough for them to walk side-by-side carrying Gwaine.

The Trio hurried along as fast as they could with an injured member, hoping to catch Morgana. It had been several hours since she'd left them to die, so there a whole lot of hope she was anywhere near.

"Where do you think she went?" Arthur asked.

"The Lake of Avalon?" Gwaine asked.

"Now why would she go there?" Merlin questioned him. "Clearly not to help Frey—Oh, no."

"Oh, no? I don't like 'Oh, no's!" Gwaine exclaimed.

"Merlin, what's she doing?" Arthur demanded.

"In theory she could…" Merlin started, not sure how to phrase it.

"Spit it out, man!" Arthur yelled.

Merlin swallowed, "In theory, she could use the locket to free Freya and put her under control. Maybe even bring back Freya's curse! But even without that, being the Lady of the Lake has given her strong magic; if Morgana turned her against us…" Merlin shuddered at the thought.

"What do we do?" Gwaine asked.

"I try something new and possibly dangerous," Merlin replied. "And probably stupid."


	5. Chapter 5

So I wanted this to be more epic and tragic but um...I really just can't right now. Emotionally. Just some...stuff going on. (And I don't want to make you guys wait who knows how long just because I'm not feeling 100%.) But don't worry, I'm actually feeling better at the moment because STRAX! :D Commander Strax is gonna be back on Doctor Who next week! xP Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, cause I like it, even though the story's moving faster than I intended. Well, maybe some other tragic thing can happen to them later...what do you guys think? Thanks for the reviews/favorites/follows! Enjoy and please review. :D

* * *

**Chapter Five**

"When don't you do stupid stuff?" Arthur said.

"Hey! I resent that!" Merlin spat. "Oh, we don't have time for this. Freya could be in danger!" Merlin began chanting a spell with his companions having no more inclination of what he was doing except that they needed to hold on to his shoulders. The long spell having been completed, there was a blinding flash of white light and suddenly—they were somewhere else. Not in a barren land full of wyverns, but a quiet forest that looked quite familiar.

Merlin took off running, muttering what sounded suspiciously like "I can't believe that actually worked!" and Arthur followed at a slower pace with Gwaine leaning on his shoulder. Merlin was too focused on Freya to remember that Gwaine couldn't run after him, and ran as fast as he could. Reaching the Lake of Avalon, he gasped at the sight of Freya lying unconscious on the beach with Morgana standing over her.

"FREYA!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, knocking Morgana over with an instinctive burst of magic and running towards his beloved. "Freya, are you alright?" he called when he'd reached her, stroking her hair softly. Freya's eyes fluttered open the tiniest bit and Merlin relaxed. She was alive.

"Get out of my way, Merlin!" Morgana shouted at him. Merlin stood up and put himself between Morgana and Freya, who was still trying to wake up. "I guess I'll have to make you." She called on a ball of fire and threw it towards Merlin who caught the spell and flung it back to its creator.

Morgana dodged it in the nick of time and sent another at her nemesis. He caught it once again and threw it back, this time it hit her in the arm. Morgana tried throwing a dagger with her magic instead, but Camelot's Court Sorcerer just sent it straight back, shaking his head. It cut her leg and she stumbled to the ground.

"Face it, Morgana." he said in a deep, threatening voice. "You cannot beat me face-to-face." Merlin walked towards her slowly and menacingly, "Now. Give. Me. The. Locket." Morgana was shaking out of what she would never admit was fear. Merlin ripped the locket from Morgana's trembling hand and turned towards Freya.

"Mer...lin?" Freya asked sleepily.

"Shh, it's alright," he soothed her, helping her sit up against a tree near the shore.

"MERLIN! Behind you!" came the sudden shout of Arthur, who had just arrived. Merlin whirled around just in time to see Morgana had retrieved her dagger and was trying to stab him. His sudden movement caused her to miss his heart and plunge the dagger straight into his arm.

Merlin roared in pain and magically threw Morgana against a tree, knocking her unconscious. He collapsed to his knees on the grass, vision swimming, blood dripping down his arm.

Gwaine and Arthur sat down beside him, "Are you alright?" Gwaine asked. Merlin's only reply was an 'are-you-serious?' look. "Right, well, obviously not but…you're alive, at least. Freya's alive."

Merlin nodded before turning to his king, "Arthur, pull this dagger out of my arm so I can stop the blood-flow."

"It's going to hurt," Arthur warned.

"It already does," Merlin replied. Arthur put one hand on the dagger, and the other on Merlin's shoulder. 1…2…3…and he yanked the knife out. Merlin cried out, but managed to stop the bleeding. After what seemed like forever, he turned to Freya who'd been waiting patiently and concernedly for him to recover.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Very much so," she replied. "Besides, we need to get you and Gwaine back to Camelot as soon as possible. Your rubbish healing spells are no substitute for a real physician!"

"Glad to see you have so much faith in me," Merlin joked. He stood up, helped Freya to her feet, and they walked knee-deep into the water. Merlin held out the locket to her, "What now?"

"We both must cut one of our fingers and drop blood into the locket. Then you need to speak the spell written on it."

"Wait, isn't that…?"

"A marriage according to the ways of the Old Religion," Freya confirmed. Merlin hadn't expected that, but he grinned.

"So, Lady Freya of the Lake of Avalon, will you marry me, then?" he beamed at her.

"Of course I will, Lord Emrys, King of Druids," she replied with a wide smile on her face as well.

"Arthur, can I have your dagger?" Merlin turned to his king and asked. The two knights on the shore were completely stunned by this turn of events. Arthur dazedly handed Merlin his dagger and walked back onto the grass. The warlock turned to his druid girl and winced as he slit open his finger. He waited as she did the same, and they both let a drop of blood fall into the locket.

Merlin closed the lid and recited the spell carved around the crystal; the couple was enveloped in a brilliant gold light for a few seconds. When it died down, Merlin placed the locket carefully around Freya's neck before leaning in and kissing his now-wife by the laws of the Old Religion. This was really what mattered to two magical beings such as themselves, no matter what the laws of the realm were.

Though, Merlin supposed, Arthur wouldn't allow his Court Sorcerer to skip over his own laws. And Gwen would skin him alive if she found out he'd gotten married without her there! Well, he wouldn't really mind marrying Freya again. He'd do it a thousand times.


	6. Chapter 6

...Last night I uploaded chapter 6 of The Trials of King Arthur instead of this one. Oops. ._.

I've been racking my brain every single day for a way to continue this story since I posted the last chapter. I honestly have nothing. Not a single idea. I don't even have an epilogue idea that wouldn't be awkward. So here are some highlights about what happens after the end of chapter 5. Sorry I made you wait for such a small thing...but I'll definitely be back with more Merlin fics. I have one idea in the works already.

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**Chapter Six**

"Will you two stop kissing and start walking?!" Arthur yelled in exasperation. Merlin and Freya had been walking back to Camelot at a much slower pace than the king liked. They couldn't help it; they were deliriously happy to be together again. With a great effort, the two resigned themselves to merely holding hands as they sped up toward home.

Gwaine and Merlin were dragged to Gaius the minute they got back.

Gwen yelled at Merlin as soon as she heard he got married, ordered him to marry Freya in a traditional Camelot ceremony, and dragged Freya off to pick a dress.

Ronan and Ulric were overjoyed to meet Freya. The poor couple was dragged in front of many, many druids who cheered, partied, and welcomed their new queen.

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I'm going to stop now before I'm reduced to "and they all lived happily ever after." There's one more bit that's a sort of headcanon I guess? I don't know, it's completely unimportant but something I wanted to add in the story if at all possible. I really don't think it is without it being unecessarily awkward. Anyway, I sort of really like the idea of Merlin being immortal; I'm not sure why, but I do. What I don't like is the idea that he'd be alone for...ever...it makes me sad. In my mind, that ceremony that freed Freya shared his immortality with her so Merlin wouldn't be alone. :3

And on that sappy note, I shall bid you adieu! I really hope I didn't disappoint everyone too much, I hate to do that. :(


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